RAM: Random Access Memory
by angellwings
Summary: I've finally decided to attempt the Ars Amatoria Romance Challenge, but of course I couldn't do it with just any couple. So here is my attempt at this challenge, and I am going to blame this couple on PRU's Unconventional Couples Challenge. Please review!
1. Friends

* * *

**Friends**

* * *

"Hey," Tori said to Rose as she entered the Overdrive command center. Tori knew things were awkward and that the rangers felt like they weren't needed so she'd spoken quietly and warily, "Do you need any help?"

She watched Rose work rapidly. She was dismantling the morphers in an attempt to find a way to fix them. She gave Tori a small smile and held up one finger as a request for her to wait.

"I mean I'm really no good at this stuff, but I did manage to help Cam a few times. I'm sure I could do something to help you out," Tori told her reassuringly.

"Cam?" Rose asked curiously as she finished gutting Will's morpher.

"He's my team's version of you," Tori explained quickly, "So what can I do to help?"

Rose glanced at her skeptically at first and then grinned, "If you really want to help then you can keep the wild bunch upstairs and keep Spencer and Mr. Hartford from lecturing me about taking a break. _**That**_ would help tremendously."

Tori laughed, "Wild bunch? If you aren't a female Cam then I don't know who is. Remind me never to leave you two alone together. The world would never be the same."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked as she scanned the various parts of the morpher.

"You two super geniuses would have a friendship the world would never recover from," Tori said as she shook her head and smiled.

Rose nodded and returned to the morpher. She bit her bottom lip and wondered if that was true. If it was then she wanted to meet this Cam. She'd never had many friends as a child. The first thing being a ranger had taught her was how amazing having a group of friends could truly be. Friendships were something Rose was very interested in now. She wanted to meet Tori's friend one day and see if they really could be the friends Tori imagined them to be.


	2. Dare

* * *

**Dare**

* * *

Tori had invited the Overdrive team to come visit and meet her team. So the next bit of time off they had lead them to Blue Bay Harbor. They were meeting her at a store called Storm Chargers, and it was safe to say that this was not Rose's type of store.

But Ronny was in heaven. Dax and Ronny were running around in awe of everything while Tyzonn followed behind them observing and asking questions. Will and Mack stood in a corner. Will studied his fingernails in a bored manner while Mack flipped through a newly purchased adventure comic. Rose settled her gaze on something else.

_Okay, more like someone else, _Rose thought as she looked toward the back of the store.

She could see into the back room from where she was standing. Two young men were talking in that room. One spoke while he repaired a bike while another fiddled with his glasses and listened impatiently. Both were attractive, but she had to admit the one with the glasses was inexplicably and exponentially more appealing to her. He appeared to carry himself very intelligently, and she could tell he had a begrudging fondness for the man who was talking.

Will looked up from his fingernails and noticed Rose was staring. He nudged Mack with his shoulder and motioned to the pink ranger. Mack looked up and frowned at the distracted look on the girl's face, but grinned when Will pointed out exactly what was distracting her.

Will slowly approached until he stood beside of her, "Rose…"

"Hmm?"

"Truth or Dare?"

Her head whipped in his direction and she stared at him in confusion, "What?"

"Truth…or…Dare…it's a game. I'm told girls frequently play it at sleepover parties."

She rolled her eyes, "I know what it is, Will. It's not my kind of game."

"Well, we gotta do something. I think I've successfully counted ALL the veins in my hand," He told her with a sigh.

"And I have already read this comic about a thousand times," Mack said as he caught on and joined in, "Please Rose? Just for a few minutes?"

Rose sighed at the expression on Mack's face, "Fine."

"Woo! Okay, Truth…or Dare?" Mack asked excitedly.

"Oh…why not," She said with a shrug, "Dare."

"We were hoping you'd say that," Will said with a grin.

"Your dare, Rosie, is to talk to that guy you've been staring at and seem so interested in," Mack supplied smugly.

She scoffed and stared at them in shock, "I can't do that! I don't know him!"

"And you never will if you don't ever _**talk**_ to him," Will told her sternly.

"And besides it's not a request…it's a dare. You _**have**_ to do it," Mack grinned evilly as he gave her a light shove toward the counter that peeked into the back room. She glared at the boys one last time before continuing to walk forward.

She knocked lightly on the counter and cleared her throat. The man with glasses looked pointedly at the man repairing the bike. When he didn't move the man rolled his eyes and headed over to her.

"How can I help you?" He asked with a smile, "Not that I actually work here, but I'm still happy to help."

She grinned as he glared at the other man before turning back to her and smiling.

"My friends dared me to come over and say hi," She told him with a smile, "So…hi."

"They dared you? Any particular reason they dared you?" He asked with a knowing smile, "It's been my experience that there's usually a reason for certain dares."

She blushed, "Um…no. No reason."

He grinned and nodded in a manner that made it clear he knew she was lying.

"Hey!" Came a familiar voice from the door, "You guys made it!"

Rose turned to see Tori approach the rest of the Overdrive team. Tori glanced in their direction.

"Oh good, you two have already met," She said with a smile.

They both looked at each other in confusion then looked at Tori with questioning expressions.

"Rose Ortiz meet my good friend, Cam Watanabe," Tori said with a satisfied grin.


	3. Secrets

* * *

**Secrets**

* * *

Rose was teaching a seminar on Micro technology today.

And she had hinted to Cam that she wanted him to be there.

Cam pretended to be ignorant.

He grinned as he walked toward the room where she would be lecturing. He was proud of himself for being able to keep this such a secret. He wanted his attendance at the seminar to surprise her. Which meant he had to keep it from anyone with a big mouth or a mind for gossip. It was safe to say that he had told none of the former Wind and Thunder rangers. He'd thought about telling Tori, but then decided he couldn't risk it.

He peeked through the window in the door, and noticed her sitting in a chair on the right side of the stage while an older man introduced her. He smiled fondly as he noticed her wrinkling and turning a piece of paper in her hands. She was nervous. He found that extremely adorable.

He scanned the room for a seat and finally spotted one on the end of a row toward the middle of the room. He pushed the door open and walked down the aisle with a wide smile as he locked eyes with Rose. Her eyes widened and her smile brightened when she saw him. He nodded and waved as he sat down.

The older man finished his introduction and motioned for Rose to approach the podium. She took a deep breath and walked toward the front of the stage. She got her notes settled on the podium and gathered up her nerves as she began to speak. It helped that she could pretend she was speaking directly to Cam.

Cam wasn't oblivious to the fact that her eyes rarely left his during her entire presentation, and he loved that he gave her some sense of comfort. It said a lot about where he stood with her. He was aware that Rose was someone who was very hard to become close to, and the fact that she had genuinely wanted him to be present spoke volumes about how close they had become.

When her presentation was over she received a standing ovation from the members of the audience, and he watched as she nodded her thanks humbly. Once the audience had begun to file out Rose made her way off the stage and made a beeline for him.

"Hey!" She said happily as she gave him a quick hug, "I didn't think you were coming."

"That's what I wanted you to think," He told her with a mischievous grin.

"You mean you knew that I wanted you to come, and didn't tell me that you were going to?" She asked with a mock glare.

"No, that is definitely not what I mean," He said with heavy sarcasm, "I would never keep that kind of secret from you."

She rolled her eyes, smacked him lightly and then hugged him again, "Whatever, I'm just glad you're here."

He smiled as they embraced, "Me too, Rose, me too."


	4. Youth

* * *

Youth

* * *

Rose hadn't had much of a child hood. Her education had always been top priority. She was home schooled, and then sent to exclusive, private boarding schools. Recess had never been a part of her routine. So when she and Cam walked past a play ground in San Angeles Park Rose couldn't help but let her gaze linger on the empty swings, merry-go-round, and monkey bars.

"Did you enjoy playing on a play ground as a kid?" She asked Cam thoughtfully.

He paused mid-stride and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" She asked with a self-conscious blush.

"I'm just trying to figure out where that question suddenly came from," He told her with a grin.

"I was merely curious."

"I don't know I guess I enjoyed it about as much as any other kid, why? Did you have a traumatic play ground experience?" He asked sarcastically.

"Um…no," She answered nervously, "You know what…never mind."

"Oh no, you can't bring it up and then back out," Cam told her with a curious glance.

"You'll think I'm weird…"

"Rose, we fought evil doers in brightly colored spandex and helmets. I think we're both weird," He said with an amused smile.

"I-I've never been on a play ground."

"Okay," He said slowly, "I wasn't expecting that. You've never been on a play ground? Not even swings?"

"See? You think I'm weird."

"I don't think you're weird," He said reassuringly before faltering, "Okay…so you're a little weird."

"Thanks," She said sarcastically as she shook her head.

"You're lucky you've got me around to fix that," He said as he looked back at the play ground. He grabbed Rose's hand and led her to the swings. He released her hand and sat down on one of the swings. He patted the one next to him and spoke, "Have a seat."

She stared at him in shock, "Are you serious?"

"Rose, I'm sitting on a swing in the middle of a child's play ground. What do you think?"

She smiled sweetly at him and sat down on the swing to his right.

"Now it's time you learn to pump your legs, Ms. Ortiz."

"Pump my legs?" She asked cluelessly.

"Wow, we're gonna be here a while," He said with a grin and a chuckle.


	5. Patience

* * *

Patience

* * *

Ronny glanced over at where Rose was sitting on the other side of the room, and bit back a groan. Cam was at the mansion visiting again, and as always she and Cam were completely wrapped up in each other.

Only neither one of them realized it.

She was at the point where she wanted to shove both of them in to a closet and lock the door. She had never been one to sit back and watch. Especially when she could clearly see the best solution.

Dax suddenly let out a cry of victory and threw down his video game controller. Ronny's head snapped back toward the screen, and she suddenly realized Dax had beaten her. Her eyes widened and she glared at the screen. She'd been distracted and Dax had beaten her.

At a racing game.

A racing game!

That was the last straw.

She growled and turned to face Dax, "We have to do something."

He stared at her cluelessly, "About what?"

"Rose and Cam."

"What about them?" He asked in confusion.

She sighed and glanced back at Tyzonn, "Please tell me that you at least know what I'm talking about?"

"You mean the fact that they are obviously attracted to each other romantically?" He asked casually.

"YES! Thank you," She exclaimed without thinking. Cam and Rose turned toward her and stared at her with questioning glances.

Her eyes widened and she covered her slip by smiling sweetly, "Video game thing, no big."

They nodded and went back to their conversation.

"I don't think interfering would be a good idea," Tyzonn told her with a small smile.

"Why not? I mean they obviously like each other…what's wrong with playing a little matchmaker?" She asked with a frown.

"You know how Rose is, relationships aren't easy for her. If we try to rush them it might end up ruining everything," He told her rationally.

She nibbled on her bottom lip, and glanced over at Rose and Cam.

She sighed, "But…they're so close."

Dax gave her a confused look, "You're not very good at being patient are you?"

"Patient?" She asked him sarcastically, "There's a reason I like things that go fast, Dax."


	6. Routine

* * *

Routine

* * *

Cam had a specific routine. He liked to get up in the morning, have a decent breakfast, get ready for the day, meditate and clear his thoughts, teach his classes, then have time to make sure the Academy's security systems were working properly and work on various other projects.

But it seemed everything was working against him today.

They had a freak storm the night before and the power had gone out. Which meant his alarm didn't go off. His breakfast had been a muffin and half of a cup of coffee. He'd had no time for meditation, and had been late to his first class. He had Dustin's students for hand-to-hand combat training first, and it seemed it was one of those days when no one wanted to pay attention.

The storm had knocked out the security systems, and it looked like Cam would have to skip lunch just to get it all done by the end of the day.

So clearly he was the grouchiest he'd been in a while, and wasn't happy when Tori's smiling face suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What?" He snapped.

"Bad day?" She asked with a smile.

He merely gave her a bored glare.

"I'll take that as a yes," She said with a chuckle, "Don't worry, I have a feeling your day is about to become MUCH better."

He ignored her and kept walking toward the entrance to Ninja Ops. He hated being thrown off of his routine. Absolutely hated it. He started down the steps and froze at the sight that greeted him.

"Rose?"

She smiled brightly up at him and motioned to the picnic she had spread out on the floor of Ninja Ops.

"Lunch?"

"I-how…um sure…" He answered in shock.

He sat down and noticed the typical picnic spread. There were sandwiches, chips, lemonade, and brownies. He smiled up at her and shook his head, "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, "I called Tori this morning to ask what time you guys usually ate lunch, and she mentioned that you were in a horrible mood and probably weren't going to get to eat lunch. So, I thought I would come and _make sure_ you got a decent lunch."

"You didn't have to do this you know."

She laughed, "I didn't, Spencer did. Besides you come to visit me all the time, and I wanted to return the favor. Now let's eat, I'm starving."

"Rose?" He said as she began to fix herself a plate. She looked up at him casually.

"Yes?"

"Thank you," He told her with soft smile.

She nodded and returned his smile.


	7. Smile

**a/n: Thanks goes out to the three people who have reviewed this (M.L. Shards, Author 'n Dreamer and garnetred)! I really appreciate it (espescially since this pairing is not very common, lol).**

**Smile**

* * *

Rose crossed her arms over her chest defensively and glared at Cam.

He grinned slyly at her.

She opened her mouth to speak and Cam held his hand up.

"No…still jinxed. You are not allowed to talk until you buy me an Icee."

Her eyes widened and she motioned to the Icee machine and the "Out of Order" sign that hung over it.

"Sorry, those are the rules of jinx," he told her as he feigned sympathy.

She continued to glare at him, but he could see the playful glint that shone from those eyes of her's. Cam casually walked over to the condiment counter and picked up a straw. He rolled up the straw wrapper into tiny balls and sat down next to Rose. She eyed him suspiciously as he tucked one of the wads of paper into the end of the straw. He aimed and shot at someone passing by and then hid the straw from sight when the person turned to face them.

"Rose!" He said as he pretended to be shocked, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't know what's gotten into her."

Her jaw dropped and she shook her head vehemently. The woman scoffed and walked away from them. With her jaw still hanging open she turned to stare at Cam in horror.

He chuckled and picked up another ball of paper. She shook her head and grabbed his hand in an attempt to keep him from doing that again.

He laughed at her determined expression, "I don't think so, Rosie."

She grabbed his hand and tried to pry it open, but Cam had it clenched tight.

He flashed her a smug smile. He placed his other hand on top of both of her's and shook his head.

She looked at him with a glare. Cam noticed the corners of her mouth twitch upward, and knew she was having just as much fun with this as he was. He winked playfully at her, and finally she broke. A wide smile over took her features, and she shook with silent laughter. It wasn't long before he began laughing with her.

In all their laughter neither of them noticed they were still holding hands.


	8. Game

* * *

Game

* * *

"Uno," Shane said as he glared boastfully around the circle.

"Oh no, you are NOT going to win this time," Tori said as she changed the color with one of her cards.

"How do you plan on stopping me? You don't lay down a card until _after_ me." Shane announced with a grin. Instinctively every one's eyes landed on Rose who _did_ get to lay down cards before Shane. Rose pretended not to notice the stares as Dustin tried to pick a card.

This was new for Rose. She'd come to visit Cam before and even Tori before, but she'd never really hung out with Dustin, Shane, and Hunter. Not without her team around any way.

She watched with a small smile as Dustin's hand went back and forth between two cards as if he had no idea which one to lay down. Hunter impatiently tapped her fingers up and down on the table as Dustin continued to be conflicted.

"Bro, will you just go already?" Hunter asked in irritation.

"The game of Uno is an art form, and art cannot be rushed," Dustin said in a sage-like tone.

"Wow, and this guy is actually a Sensei," Cam said with a shake of his head.

Rose rolled her eyes and spoke up in a playful tone, "You guys are worse than Will and Ronny. _Some people_ actually like to _think_ about what card they put down."

"Ooo, Burn!" Shane exclaimed with a broad smile.

"Why thank you, Rose," Dustin said with a wink and a nod as he finally decided on the card he wanted to add to the pile, "draw four, Hunter, and the color is yellow."

"Of course the color is yellow," Cam said with a chuckle as he laid down a yellow 4, "You always pick yellow."

"And that surprises you?" Tori asked Cam with a grin.

"Nothing surprises me any more," The former green ranger said with a small smile. While they had been talking Rose quietly made her move, and waited patiently for Shane to notice. Shane looked down at the pile in passing and then glared playfully at Rose.

"You did not just do that…"

She smirked evilly, "I believe I did."

"You just wait, I will have my revenge," Shane said with a glare as he drew four cards from the pile.

"I don't see how that's possible since my turn is before yours," Rose said as she grinned and threw his words back at him, "And the color is green, by the way."

Tori, Hunter, Dustin, and Cam all stared at Rose in disbelief and respect. She'd taken down Shane although Cam seemed more interested in the fact that she had picked his color. The next round when it came time for Rose to lay down a card she immediately announced Uno. Shane obviously appeared frustrated when he realized there was nothing he could do unless someone laid down a reverse. As the round Cam back to Cam and still no reverse had been played Shane resigned himself to his fate, but to his surprise he noticed an evil grin cross Cam's features as he laid down his card.

Rose's eyes went wide and she smacked Cam in the shoulder, "Jerk, and I even picked your color earlier!"

He laughed as Hunter laid down a card, and the reverse headed toward Shane. Shane psyched himself up to deliver a blow that Rose couldn't quickly recover from when he heard something that ruined it all.

"I'm out!" Dustin exclaimed as he laid down his last card. They had all forgotten he'd announced he had uno during the last round, "Woo! Score one for Sensei Dustin!"

"You have GOT to be kidding me? My winning streak was ruined by _Dustin?_ Awwww, man!" Shane pouted as he tallied up his points.

Rose glanced down at her watch and bit her bottom lip, "I really have to go."

"But the night is only just beginning!" Dustin exclaimed dramatically.

Rose smiled at him, "Yes, well I have early morning watch tomorrow in the control room."

"But it's only 12:30!" Shane protested, "Seriously I have to get my revenge. You lost me my winning streak."

"You lost yourself that winning streak. If I leave now I might be home by 1:00 AM which will give me exactly four hours sleep," She told them all as she stood up.

"Only four hours sleep?" Tori asked her in concern.

"I thought your watch didn't start until 7?" Cam asked with the same concern.

"Normally it doesn't, but the actions been picking up a lot lately," She said with a sigh, and for the first time that night Cam saw how stressed she really was.

"If you ever need any help you know you can call us, right?" Hunter asked reassuringly.

"We've got you on speed dial," Rose answered with a small chuckle.

"Good," He nodded.

"C'mon, I'll walk you to your car," Cam said as he stood up and headed toward the door with her.

As they exited Rose heard each of Cam's friends send out a good bye and good night. She smiled sleepily and waved on her way up the stairs.

"Do you want me to drive you? I could drop you and your car off at the mansion. I can always streak back you know…"

She laughed, "I thought you were only supposed to streak in emergencies."

"Well, I don't want you to fall asleep at the wheel, and if I drive you could sleep and not have to worry about it," Cam offered.

She smiled tiredly, "If you drove me I wouldn't be able to sleep. I would want to talk, and you know that."

He sighed, "You're sure you can make it?"

"Positive," She answered.

"And you'll be careful?"

"Always," She answered again.

"And you'll call me when you get there so I don't assume the worst has happened?"

"I thought you never assumed anything?" She asked him cheekily.

"When it comes to people that I care about it's been known to happen every now and then," He responded automatically without even thinking about his words.

Something clenched in Rose's stomach as he spoke those words. It wasn't fear, It wasn't nerves, and it wasn't anxiety which is what had been causing that reaction more frequently lately what with the team being so close to having all of the jewels. This clench was a positive thing, though, she could tell.

She smiled and hugged Cam tightly, "I promise I will call you and let you know I made it back."

He let out a sigh of relief as he hugged her in return, "Good."

Rose bit her bottom lip again. There was something she wanted to do before she lost her nerve. As she pulled away she placed a slow lingering kiss on Cam's cheek. Cam had been kissed on the cheek before by Marah and Kapri (which he still wasn't that comfortable with) and by Tori on occasion, but this was different. There was no family sentiment involved, and as crazy as it sounded in his head there something utterly sensual about it. He was shocked that such a simple and seemingly innocent action could leave him reeling. He gulped and slowly pulled away from Rose.

"Good night, Cam," She said as she opened her driver side door.

"Good night, Rose," He answered quietly as she closed the door and pulled away.


	9. Yield

* * *

Yield

* * *

Cam saw Tori's hand wave in front of his face.

"Earth to the Samurai…Cam?"

He shook himself out of his daze and turned to face his friend.

"Are you okay?" She asked him with an amused smile.

"I-I…I think so…" He answered with a sigh.

"Something have you distracted? Or possibly someone?" Tori asked with a knowing smile.

"Rose," He answered simply.

She smiled at him and chuckled.

"What?" He asked her in slight irritation.

"The Samurai is in love," She said in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"Tori," He said sternly.

"Don't try and deny it. I've left you two alone for far too long now. I thought maybe Mr. Genius would let his heart take the lead on this one," Tori said with a shake of her head, "But apparently not."

"What are you talking about?" He asked in confusion.

"You! Make a move, Cam. Make a move before someone else does," She told him with a shake of her head.

"I don't know what to do, Tori. I don't think I've ever been in a situation like this," He confided in her.

"You're thinking too much, Cam. Way too much. Give the mind a break and let the heart take control," She sighed when she realized her point wasn't getting across like she wanted it to, "Have you ever heard of Ovid? Ancient roman author?"

"Of course," He said in annoyed tone.

"You who seek an end of love, love will yield to business," Tori told him seriously before patting his shoulder, "You can ignore that nagging and wonderful feeling in your stomach, but you'll hate yourself for it once Rose finds someone else. Trust me."

And with that Tori walked away. Cam watched her retreating form with a conflicted sigh. She was right as usual. He couldn't let his feelings fall victim to his doubts.


	10. Green Eyed Monster

* * *

**Green-Eyed Monster**

* * *

Cam knew he had no reason to feel this way…well more like he had no right to feel this way.

He hadn't made a move so Rose was free to do whatever she liked, but her friendship with Mack made him nervous. They seemed too close to truly be just friends, and the more Rose talked about him the more Tori's words replayed in his mind.

"He almost died today, Cam. Mack almost died," Rose told him tearfully as she paced in front of him in her room. The final battle had just went down, and of course Operation Overdrive had won. But Mack had almost been a casualty.

"But he didn't," Cam reassured her as she walked.

"But he could have. We all could have," she said as she stood still for the first time since he had arrived.

"But you didn't. You won, Rose. The battle is over," Cam told her as he stood to face her.

"Then why don't I feel victorious? I feel like at any moment someone is going to jump out at me like this is the calm before the storm or something…"

"It takes a while for the concept to settle in, Trust me. You just don't know what to do with yourself at the moment. For the last several months your life has been consumed with this, and now that you've completed your mission you have no idea what to do."

"Mack's probably having a harder time with this than I am," Rose said with a sigh, "Although I have to admit today was a pretty good day. You know after all of the fighting and exhaustion ended."

He smiled at her, and nodded in understanding.

"I mean the Corona is safe, Tyzonn found Vela, and Mack is human," she said with a radiant smile. "I felt his heart beating, Cam, for the first time…ever…in his life. It was a very 'Wizard of Oz' moment."

Cam counted backwards from five and nodded silently to keep from making a rude and sarcastic comment. He was trying to be supportive and trying to listen to her, but the more she talked about Mack the more he wanted to rip all of his hair out.

Rose sighed, "I'm going to miss-"

Cam groaned, "Okay that's it. I can't take it anymore."

"Take what anymore?" Rose asked nervously.

"Just go tell Mack you're in love with him and get it over with…"

"WHAT?" Rose nearly yelled in shock, "Who said that I'm in love with…"

"Oh, no one, but it's pretty obvious," Cam snapped.

"Cam, Mack is like a brother to me. I don't have any siblings, and Mack…well, he looks out for me. I've never had that before. I've never had real friends before," she told him seriously.

"But you talk about him SO much…"

"I'm sorry if that bothers you, but like I said I've never had a friend like him or like the others before…so I get a little carried away sometimes, and…he did almost die today. I may not be _in_ love with him, but I certainly do _love _him in a brother-sister way. That's bound to get some emotions and nerves flowing…" Rose said as she looked away from Cam.

Did he really think she was in love Mack? If he did is that why he hadn't made a move? She mentally kicked herself. _Of course, he thinks you're in love with Mack._ _First of all, you talk about him all the time._ But it's not like she could help the fact that she felt closest to him than any of the others. Mack had truly become her best friend. Second of all, she was a pink and he was a red. Someone had said something about ranger romances connecting those colors, but that hadn't happened in this case.

Cam looked at her with doubt written across his face.

She sighed, "I promise you that I am not in love with Mack. I'm really not."

Cam was about to speak up when there was a knock at the door.

It was Mack.

"Hey Cam, sorry to interrupt but can I steal Rosie for a minute?" he asked politely.

Cam refused to meet Mack's eyes and nodded mutely. Mack glanced at him strangely before motioning for Rose to follow him out into the hall.

"Is Cam okay?" he asked when Rose stood in front of him.

She sighed, "I don't know…"

"Is something wrong?"

"He thinks I'm in love with you…"

Mack let out a short blast of laughter before regaining control, "The guy must be blind."

Rose's brow furrowed, "What does that mean?"

"It means that he can't see how crazy about him you truly are," Mack told her with a knowing grin.

"What should I do?" she asked him desperately.

"Make the first move," Mack told her as if it were obvious, "He's probably too nervous now to do that, and it would prove to him that you really _aren't_ in love with me. It might also help get that green-eyed monster off his back."

Rose gulped, "I don't know if I can do that…what if he says no?"

"He won't," Mack assured her.

"But-"

"He won't, Rosie, he won't."

* * *

_So, there ya go! _

_Enjoy!_


	11. Dependence

**

* * *

****Dependence**

* * *

Rose never realized just how much she depended on Cam. She'd never kept tabs of how often she talked to him or saw him, but now she realized just how addicted to him she had been. Cam was avoiding her. He hadn't called her, and her calls were never answered. She was no longer living at the Hartford Mansion, but she hadn't gone back to London.

She was teaching at San Angeles University in their Masters program.

She was going crazy. She wanted desperately to talk to Cam. She soon realized that her morning mood depended on whether or not she had talked to Cam the day before. She and Cam hadn't spoken since that conversation about Mack.

She stormed through the apartment she shared with Ronny. Ronny had decided to try her hand at Indy Racing and hopefully Nascar at some point. She'd stayed close by for that, and the two of them had immediately agreed to room together.

"Still haven't heard from Cam, huh?" Ronny asked as she handed Rose a cup of coffee.

"No!" She yelled, "It's so frustrating. We can't work this out if he won't even talk to me."

"Maybe he's just busy at the Wind Academy," Ronny suggested hopefully.

She let out an angry sigh, "Whatever…I'll worry about this later. I have a class to teach in half an hour."

* * *

Cam slammed his fist down on the console. His brain didn't seem to be concentrating. All he could think about or picture was Rose. He was feeling terribly guilty for avoiding her, but he had no idea what to say. He realized now that his outburst about Mack was ill-advised and a tad bit dramatic.

He also didn't understand why Rose hadn't moved back to London. Not that he wanted her to, but he'd always assumed that once Operation Overdrive was complete she'd leave.

Only she didn't.

She stayed nearby.

Was she as dependent upon seeing and talking to him as he was to her?

Nothing seemed to go well for him since he'd started avoiding her. It was like every day was a bad day.

The reason why was still lost on him.

He had never felt like this before he met her or with any other girl.

He shook his head of the troubling thoughts and attempted to focus again. He could tell he wasn't going to get anything done today.

He was going to have to stop avoiding her…if only to save his own sanity.


	12. Power

**Power**

* * *

Rose was a fairly independent woman. She was educated, self-supporting, and more than able to defend herself. But she didn't have the power to resist these feelings that had begun to rise within her. She was falling victim to them just like every other human. She glanced through the window at Storm Chargers and saw Cam chatting with Shane. She sighed and gulped and stepped inside.

She was sick of being ignored. He wasn't answering her calls so…the next logical thing was to go find him. Shane saw her before Cam did, and excused himself to the back room.

"Rose," He said in shock at the sight of her.

"Hey," She said with a nervous wave.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"You aren't taking my calls," She stated simply.

"I-I…um…"

Cam had no idea what to tell her or how to respond.

* * *

Shane, Tori, and Dustin were observing from the back room.

"What do we do?" Shane asked.

"We let them work it out," Tori said.

Dustin's eyebrow rose at the sight of Cam and Rose as they stared at each other awkwardly, "They're not doing anything…"

"Come on, Cam…," Tori mumbled as she mentally encouraged him to make some sort of move.

* * *

"I'm sorry," He said at last, "I just didn't know what to say after…"

She nodded, "We need to talk about that."

"I was slightly over dramatic…"

"I'm glad you said something though," Rose admitted.

"You are?"

"Well, yes," She answered shyly, "But you should know that Mack and I are just friends. He's like my equivalent to Tori."

Cam grinned, "You might not want to tell him that."

"Oh, he already knows. He's not very fond of the analogy," She told him with a smirk, "I think it's because I called him a girl."

"Probably," Cam answered sarcastically.

Rose smiled and noticed Tori, Shane, and Dustin watching them out of the corner of her eye, "We're being watched…"

Cam gave her a confused look before catching on, "They think they are being so discrete."

Rose chuckled, "My team would be doing the exact same thing…"

"You'd think they had lost all power to control themselves and their meddling minds." He told her with an affectionate glance at his best friends.

"They probably have. You know Ronny is convinced that you and I have a thing for eachother…" Rose said as she attempted to sound casual.

"Well don't we?" He asked her with a lop-sided grin.

Rose blushed, "I guess we are kind of obvious…"

"So, why don't we just give our nosey meddling friends something to talk about?"

"What do you mean?" Rose asked nervously.

Cam gulped back his hesitation, "A date?"

Rose flashed him a bright smile and nodded, "That would be wonderful."

Cam let out a sigh of relief and couldn't hide his smile, "Tomorrow night?"

"Perfect," Rose agreed, "I'll see you then."

Rose and Cam said their good byes with horrendous goofy smiles on their faces.

Cam paused as Rose left, "Tomorrow night…what the hell have I gotten myself into? How am I going to pull together an amazing date in less than 24 hours?"

"That's what we're here for, my friend," Shane said with a chuckle as he patted Cam on the shoulder.

"We've got you covered," Tori told him with a smile.

"No worries, dude," Dustin agreed.

"Meddlers," Cam accused with an appreciative smile.

"We know," They answered simultaneously.


	13. Test

**Test**

* * *

"Cam asked you out?" Ronnie asked her friend in shock.

"Why doesn't it sound like you believe me?" Rose asked in a slightly offended tone.

"I just thought it would take longer than this," Ronnie said as she sat back on the couch.

"Hey!" Rose protested.

"What? The two of you move in slow motion. I figured it would be another couple of months before he worked up the nerve to finally ask you out on a date," Ronnie said with a grin. "But I'm glad it didn't take that long. It's nice to see that the guy is finally using that massive brain of his. So what do you think he's got planned?"

"I don't know, but I hope it's not something too extravagant. I kind of just want to talk and hang out, you know? Something simple," Rose told her friend.

* * *

"Okay, here's the plan. Cam will be picking Rose up at 1900 hours, and that's when Tori and I will get into position here," Shane announced as he used a metal pointer to highlight a section of a town map. "While Dustin and Marah prepare everything in the back."

Hunter raised his hand from his chair, "Is there a reason I'm here?"

"Patience is a virtue, dude. I'm getting there," Shane told him as he continued on with the plan. "Now should things go wrong with this plan, and Dustin or Marah screw up their roles…"

"HEY!" The two protested simultaneously.

"…Hunter and Kapri will be standing by to fill in."

"Oh, great, so if everything goes perfectly I will have wasted an entire evening of my life?" Hunter asked sarcastically.

"An entire evening of _your_ life? I was supposed to have my own date tonight," Kapri huffed.

"Bro, its Dustin and Marah we're talking about. Everything will not go perfectly," Shane added in a stage whisper.

"You know, I don't have to take this kind of abuse...there are plenty of other people who are ready to abuse me…wait…that sounded better in my head," Dustin said with a furrowed brow.

"Why do I feel like this has turned into a covert military operation?" Cam asked Tori in frustration. "Does it really have to be this complicated?"

"Do you even KNOW any of these people you claim are your friends? Of course it has to be complicated," Tori smirked.

"This is just beginning to sound less and less like something Rose and I would enjoy," Cam told her in confidence.

"The first date is the first test of a relationship you know? It's where you're able to tell if the relationship will go anywhere," Tori told him in warning.

"That's encouraging," Cam told her.

She chuckled, "I'm just saying that if this doesn't sound like something you or Rose would want then you don't have to stick to Supreme Commander Shane's battle plan."

"You think?" He asked with a grin.

"All you've got to do is just not show up at "Rendezvous Alpha" at 1900 hours," Tori said in a tempting tone.

"Wouldn't Shane be mad?" Cam asked with a chuckle.

"He'll get over it. It's your date not his," Tori smirked.

"Excellent point," Cam said with a nod. "And should anyone be upset with me I'll just tell them it was your idea."

Tori glared at him playfully, "Gee, thanks, traitor."

* * *

"So, where are we going?" Rose asked as they drove away from her apartment building.

"I don't know exactly. Where would you like to go?" He asked her with a smile.

"The park," She said quickly.

"The park?" He asked with a questioning grin.

"I feel like finding that swing set you taught me how to pump my legs on," She said with a smile.

"Oh really? Well, that's definitely something I wouldn't have come up with," He said with a chuckle. "Your wish is my command."

A few minutes later as they approached the swing set Cam's phone alerted him that he had received a text message.

"_WHERE R U? You didn't have to go MIA on me! Hunter's threatening to filet me!"_

Cam smirked and turned off his cell phone. He planned on really seeing where things could go with Rose, and there was no way he would have been able to do that with Shane's over the top plans. This was much better for himself AND for Rose.

He'd apologize to everyone tomorrow…or just blame it on Tori. He hadn't decided yet.


	14. Knight

**

* * *

**

Knight

* * *

Rose bit back a chuckle as she and Tori exchanged amused glances at Cam's expense.

"Go ahead, let it out," He deadpanned.

Rose and Tori broke and let out a chain of loud, gasping, laughs.

Cam sighed as the metal mask fell back down in front of his face. He tried to reach and push it back up, but the metal covering his arm wouldn't let him. So, he just stood there and glumly resigned himself to his fate. He turned to walk back into the dressing room. The girl's laughter followed him as the suit of armor he was wearing creaked its way into the changing area.

"Why in the world did you let _Dustin_ pick out the costumes?" Rose asked as she approached the outside of the room.

"Because I thought, "You know why NOT let him dress me up in metal outfit that will prevent me from doing any type of movement whatsoever all night." Why do you THINK? It's because he wouldn't leave me ALONE until I agreed. I didn't know he was gonna pick out this monstrous thing," Cam said sarcastically.

"You should have listened to me and tried it on BEFORE you paid for the rental," She chuckled.

"Well, I underestimated Dustin's insanity. I'll never do THAT again," Cam said as he fought with the last piece. He'd put it on over his clothing, and the last piece on his arm refused to come off.

"I can NOT get his piece off!" Cam huffed. "Remind me to kill Dustin when I see him again."

Rose gave Tori another amused look, and Tori shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna go check out what Dustin picked out for me. Cross your fingers," Tori told them as she walked back over to the sales desk.

Rose pulled back the curtain that separated the store from the dressing room.

"Here, let me try," She smirked as she reached for his arm and began to loosen the straps that held it there.

"What did he pick out for you?" He asked curiously.

"I am a Medieval Lady of the Court. Complete with the pointy princess hat," She told him with a smile.

"Great, so I'll spend all of Halloween night looking stupid while you look like your stunning self," He sighed.

She chuckled as the piece came loose, "Well, we match don't we? And look at it this way…now you really ARE my knight in shining Armor."

She gave him a peck on the lips before handing him back the last piece of his armor, and walking out.

As she walked away Cam smiled after her, but quickly grimaced again when his eyes landed on the massive suit of armor.

"Dustin is dead."


	15. Gift

**

* * *

**

Gift

* * *

Rose tripped and dropped the folders she had been cradling in her arms. She sighed angrily and bent down to pick them all up. She'd come back to London for a couple of weeks to guest lecture an advanced two week course, and since she'd gotten here nothing had gone her way. Sure the lectures had been going fine, but everything else was terrible.

It turned out one of the professors who had hated her when she was a student was back from sabbatical. This professor was convinced that Rose didn't have the passion necessary to work in the field of micro-technology, and Rose was determined to prove her wrong. But so far all she had done was make things worse. Her time as a ranger didn't help things any. Professor Tredway merely said she had been out for attention and fame not to help the world.

She'd also been a lot more of klutz lately. She tripped at least once a day. Rose was beginning to think her nerves were psyching her out, and causing her to trip so much. And then there was Cam. Thanks to the time difference she was having trouble getting a hold of him, and he was having just as much trouble contacting her. The only person she'd managed to talk to was Ronny.

This was not the way she had envisioned her birthday week going. Tomorrow would be her birthday, and who would she be celebrating it with? Her lap top, and a lecture hall full of students.

Rose finished picking up her papers and walked down the hall toward her temporary office. She couldn't wait to get back home.

* * *

"It's Rose's birthday tomorrow," Ronny mentioned offhandedly to Cam over the phone.

"Is that why you called me? To tell me tomorrow is Rose's birthday? Because I'm well aware of that," Cam said.

"No…I called to tell to you that the eight of us have decided what we're giving Rose for her birthday," Ronny told him.

"The eight of you? Ronny if there are eight of _you_ I just might shoot myself," Cam said sarcastically.

She grinned, "Please, you like me. You just don't want to admit it."

Cam surpressed a chuckle, "So who makes up this eight you were talking about?"

"Mr. Hartford, Mack, me, Will, Dax, Tyzonn, Vela, and Spencer," she told him.

"Okay, and what exactly are you giving her for her birthday?" He asked.

"You," Ronny said simply.

"Um…I don't think that's possible…or legal," he said in confusion.

"We all pitched in and bought you first class air fare to go visit her in London. You leave in the morning," Ronny told him plainly.

"Um, shouldn't someone have ASKED me about this BEFORE you bought the tickets?" Cam asked in shock.

"What would be the fun in that? Besides you're going to go…you can't NOT go, and you know it," Ronny said with a smirk. "Pack for a week. You're leaving on the same flight she is."

"So, I'm going to be a birthday gift from Operation Overdrive?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yep," She said brightly.

"Right, of course. There's nothing weird about that at all," he said sarcastically.

"I'm glad you agree. Tori's agreed to drive you to the airport in the morning. Have fun, Cam!"

And with that Ronny hung up. She didn't even give Cam a chance to protest. Not that he would have. He'd been going insane trying to get in touch with Rose, and now he was going to get to see her in person. Granted He'd be a slightly belated birthday gift. He'd probably miss her birthday by a few minutes if he was leaving in the morning. But at least he'd be there.

* * *

Rose sighed as she glanced down at her lecture notes for the following day. She was finally done. She'd been up all night working on her outline for the next day's lecture. Her birthday had gone just as she'd expected it too.

Terribly.

And she STILL hadn't spoken with Cam.

There was a knock on her hotel room door, and her brow furrowed. It was two o'clock in the morning who would be visiting her at this hour?

She opened the door without bothering to see who it was, and froze at the sight on the other side of the door. She gasped and wasted no time wrapping her arms around Cam.

He laughed and hugged her back.

"What are you DOING here?" She asked as she hugged him tighter.

He cleared his throat and they separated, "I'm supposed to give you this."

She took the white envelope out of his hands and opened it.

"_This was the only thing we could think of at the last minute. Hope it's good enough for you. Try not to have too much fun. Happy Birthday!_

_Love, _

_The team"_

Rose let out a loud laugh, and pulled Cam in for a kiss.

"They couldn't have gotten me a better gift," She told him with a smile as they pulled apart.


	16. Song

**

* * *

Song

* * *

  
**

Cam stopped the car as they reached Rose's apartment building.

"Okay, so I have a huge favor to ask you," he said hesitantly.

"How huge?" she asked.

"Blue Bay Harbor Beauties huge," he muttered. "My cousin has signed up for this pageant, and I have to go. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"

"I'd love to," Rose said with a smile.

Cam sighed, "You say that now, but come time for the talent portion you'll be begging to leave."

"I'm sure your cousin isn't that bad," Rose said with a scolding edge to her tone.

"Oh no, she is. I'm not being mean …I'm being truthful. Kapri can NOT sing," Cam said as he shook his head. "You have been warned."

She rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Whatever you say, Samurai Man. When is this pageant?"

"Saturday. I'll be by to pick you up at around lunch time, is that okay?" he asked.

"That's perfect," Rose smiled. She gave Cam a quick peck on the lips as she got out of the car and headed up to her apartment.

* * *

Shane nodded to Cam and Rose as they arrived.

"Hey, guys," he said.

"Hey, Shane," Rose greeted him with a smile.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, and then turned to Cam, "First timer?"

He nodded solemnly. Shane shook his head sympathetically, "Poor kid. She doesn't know what she's in for."

Rose rolled her eyes, "Theres no way Kapri is worse than Dax."

Cam cleared his throat patted Rose's back, "Just wait and see."

"Hey!" Marah called from her seat beside Dustin. "We saved you all seats with us!"

Cam's eyes widened and he turned to Shane in horror, "The front row?"

"Unfortunatly," Shane responded.

"Great, torture from front row center," he said dryly.

Rose glared at him and smacked his arm, "Be nice."

"I keep telling you…I AM being nice," Cam sighed.

"We better take our seats," Rose said with a shake of her head as she led the boys to their seats.

* * *

Rose sat in her seat after the pageant with wide horror filled eyes, "Oh my God."

"Mmhmm," Cam agreed.

"I just-I mean…how can she-"

"I have no idea," Cam told her.

"Has any one told her that she can't-"

"Definitely not," he said with a shake of his head.

"But she's just so-"

"We know," Shane and Cam said simultaneously.

"Hi!" Kapri said as she rushed her friends. "How did I do?"

"Your outfit is gorgeous," Rose said with a wide, fake smile.

"You were on stage!" Shane said with fake enthusiasm.

Kapri turned to Cam expectantly.

"Um…your hair sure was…big," he answered lamely.

"Aw, you guys really are too sweet!" Kapri said as she gave them each a quick hug and made her way toward Dustin and Marah.

Rose smacked Cam's shoulder, "Next time you bring me to one of these things remember to bring cotton."

"Cotton?" he asked in confusion.

"Yes, cotton," she sighed.

"Why?" Shane asked in confusion.

"So I can stuff my ears with it during her song," Rose told them as if it were obvious.

Cam's eyes widened and he let out a shocked chuckle, "And you kept calling_ me_ mean."

"Oh shut up," Rose told him with a soft laugh.


	17. Why?

**Why?**

Cam watched Rose from where he stood. She was helping him reconfigure a few things in Ops. Over the past couple of days the question that had bugged him when he had been avoiding her had started bugging him once again. Why had she stayed? Why hadn't she gone back to London? He sighed and rubbed his forehead. He couldn't focus. Rose heard his sigh and glanced over at him.

"Everything alright?" She asked.

"Yes, I just…can't concentrate," he told her with a small smile.

"Why not?" She asked curiously.

"I'm just thinking about something," he told her. He walked over to the console she stood in front of and stopped to stand in front of her.

"Anything that I can help with?" She asked.

"As a matter of fact you can," Cam told her. "After everything with Moltor and Flurious ended…why did you stay? You could have gone back to London and had a rather well paying job, but you stayed here and took a pay downgrade…it just doesn't seem…"

"Logical?" She said as she completed his sentence.

"Exactly," He said with a nod.

She shrugged, "It's not logical. It might be one of the first illogical decisions I've made."

He gave her a questioning glance, "Then why did you do it?"

"For this first time in my life I have a real family," She told him honestly. "And I really don't want to leave this family behind."

"Oh yeah? Does this family include a brilliant former green ranger?" He asked with a smirk.

"Of course. Adam is definitely a part of that family," She grinned playfully.

"Oh, you're very funny," Cam said dryly. She laughed and turned back to the console.

"If it's possible, Cam, you're more than family," She said honestly and quietly. He smiled softly and grabbed her hand as it reached out to tweak a wire on the console. He pulled her toward him and held her for several minutes. He kissed the top of her head and pulled away.

He head back to his own console and continued his work, "We better finish this on time because I'm taking you out to dinner tonight."


End file.
